Along the River by Adeline Yen Mah Page A

the muddy country lane, which soon broadens into a wider road. We pass many small, modest homes as well as a few mansions, similar to ours, before joining the main city highway. The traffic gets heavier as we roll along and we overtake many pedestrians, some carrying heavy loads balanced on shoulder-poles. Farther on, we drive past a train of camels, ox-drawn carts laden with goods, donkeys with animal carcasses or sacks of grain slung across their backs, wheelbarrows, porters staggering under heavy loads, as well as rich men in palanquins and sedan chairs, borne by bearers. Young men on horseback gallop past at high speeds. All of us are headed in the same direction. There’s very little traffic going the opposite way.
    As we approach the city, the noise around us increases. We hear our coachman’s yells intermingled with the sound of horses’ hooves, the singsong calls of street vendors and the jingling bells of ox-drawn carts. Our carriage rolls along, weaving deftly between buildings, carts, animals, pedestrians and open stalls. The narrow streets are lined with pottery kilns, artists’ studios, iron foundries, shoe-repair stalls and all manner of workshops. I see numerous stands piled high with wine jars, sacks of grain and fresh vegetables.
    “Where are we, Baba?”
    “We’re at the open market, just outside the city proper. Ah Zhao used to work at a store close by the Nine Dragons’ Teahouse, next to the river. They serve the best noodles in Bian Liang, and I happen to have a daughter who loves noodles.…”
    “Oh, Baba!” I cry. “Are you taking me to a teahouse? I’ve never set foot in one before.”
    “Why not? Don’t tell your niang , that’s all. You’re still young enough to go to a teahouse with your baba . Once a girl gets married, her husband will never allow her to go to such places.”
    “Married! Who’s getting married?”
    “You will, one day not too far away!” Baba says, smiling. “Your niang has been talking to many matchmakers lately.”
    Suddenly things start to make sense. This is why Niang has been more interested in the way I look, and this is why she wants me to behave differently. She can see a way of getting rid of me for good.
    “But I don’t want to get married, Baba,” I protest. “I’m happy the way I am. Besides, I’m only thirteen years old.”
    “Come, now—you don’t want everyone to accuse your niang of neglecting her duty to her daughter, do you? It will lower everyone’s respect for her. She needs to arrange a proper marriage for you, and these matters can take time.”
    My heart sinks, but the idea of marriage seems so ridiculous that it’s not difficult to forget all about it. Especially when our carriage turns a corner and we see the Bian River make its dramatic appearance with Hong Qiao (the Rainbow Bridge) only a few hundred feet away. The water is thronged with flat-bottomed barges laden with wood, salt, bricks, tiles, coal and sacks of rice. Little Chen brings our vehicle to a halt. He hands the reins to Ah Zhao, hops to the ground and places a footstool for Baba and me to alight.
    “You go and get the gourds, Ah Zhao,” Baba says. “The three of us are going to the Nine Dragons’ Teahouse for lunch.”
    I can’t help feeling sad that Ah Zhao won’t be eating with us. Although he’s so much more intelligent than Gege and me, he can never be part of our world. No matter how hard he works or how beautifully he carves, he will always be a servant. Why? Because he can’t read or write and will never be able to pass the Imperial Examination. How unfair life is! But I know that Baba will not be happy if I say this aloud. So I swallow my words.
     
     
    The teahouse is situated at a busy crossroads. Baba guides Gege and me around a few donkey carts, porters, sedan chairs and strolling pedestrians. A professional storyteller is entertaining passersby at one corner of the intersection.
    The proprietor himself comes out from the main entrance to